Manufacturers: Cut Order-Picking Time by 80%

Microsoft solutions are designed to work seamlessly together to provide a higher level of performance than may be possible with a single solution. A case in point is what happens when Microsoft Power BI integrates with your Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solution.

Now managers and stakeholders have faster and better access to KPIs (key performance indicators. Critical data can be unearthed and rendered useful for strategic decision making. And with the proper tools and data in place, business processes begin to flow more smoothly and efficiently.

Increase the value of your ERP

We were able to observe firsthand the value of integrated ERP when we worked with a client in the health and wellness industry. The company grew to twice its size in just one year, straining its resources to capacity. Something needed to be done to ensure that they could handle their continuing growth.

With the increase in product orders, the company’s warehouse software could no longer keep up. That’s when they decided to upgrade from their legacy system to Microsoft Dynamics 365 NAV. Their new platform expedited their workflow automation and resulted in increased efficiency throughout the warehouse. Now, as new inventory arrives from the organization’s manufacturing facility and contracted manufacturers, their products can much more rapidly and efficiently be shipped to retail and end-user customers.

A key selling point for this client was Microsoft Dynamics 365 NAV’s facility in integrating add-ons such as the Microsoft Dynamics NAV WMS Advanced Warehousing module and Power BI. Combining these solutions enables managers to streamline their warehouse workflows and KPI reporting allowing them to continue running efficiently even with the added growth. This increased capability is particularly important as our client prepares to conduct increased business with larger retailers.

In addition, Western Computer helped the client integrate NAV WMS with its e-commerce payment system. Other key integrations included solutions for mobile scanning, forklift data collection, and shipping.

The star player is Power BI

But the integration that really changed the game for our client is Power BI. Warehouse managers can now generate reports and analyze order-fulfillment performance via dashboards using the Power BI Bundle for Microsoft Dynamics NAV/Business Central. The Power BI Bundle is a custom offering developed by Western Computer.

The automation and business intelligence combination empowers our manufacturing client to ship out all their orders within 48 hours. A huge factor in this quick turn-around time is the fact that pick-order time was reduced by 80%. The manufacturer’s customers receive their orders sooner, and our client can speed-up revenue generation.

We also demonstrated to the client how they could optimize other data generated by NAV and how to leverage the data through Power BI visual reports to aid in faster more intelligent business decisions.  In addition to assisting the warehouse team in managing inventory counts and costs more efficiently, the customer now has contractor manufacturing, financial, and sales information at their fingertips. Other key processes that benefit from the NAV-Power BI combination include backorder fill-and-kill, quality control secure transfers, expiration date management, forecasting for manufacturing output, and managed resource planning.

The correct data at the right time

This client success story demonstrates the impact of combining a powerful Microsoft ERP solution with Power BI. The possibilities are limitless. Every aspect of your business operations can be improved — from marketing to sales to production and accounting. Access to the right data at the right time, combined with automated workflows, can maximize your production capability and allow you to continue to grow your business.

To learn more about our approach to delivering business intelligence that empowers our customers, contact our experts at Western Computer today.

By Western Computer, www.westerncomputer.com